Our Destiny is Yet to be Written
by Teddy R. Lupin
Summary: I have never known my family.  As great as Harry and the Weasleys have been, it's not the same.  My parents died in the war.  This photo album is the closest I'll ever be to meeting them.  It's the only proof I have that they ever existed.  TeddyxVictoire
1. Christmas at the Burrow, 2017

This is only my second Harry Potter story ever; I'm much more adept at comic book stories and such. But I've recently re-read the books, and become interested in the epic story that is Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. I don't know that much about the Tonks family, but I know a bit about Lupin, and I know that these type of stories are so typical, but I wanted to write one where Teddy would get to meet him.

So...this is from Teddy's point of view. Everything is pretty much canon, I think. I didn't make anything different on purpose. The ages are as follows: Teddy, 19, Victoire, 17, and Lily, 9. Other ages can be drawn from that, I believe. The other characters are only filler.

The time-travel aspect takes place post-Goblet of Fire and pre-Order of the Phoenix. I don't have a sold storyline yet, but I want to see if anyone likes this.

-HARRY POTTER-

I was woken from my sleep in the most unpleasant way possible. Groaning, my shirt doused in ice-cold water, I sat up to look into the wide brown eyes of Lily Luna Potter. Her face was shining with happiness, but not completely concealing her guilt. I smirked as I realized that she was the granddaughter of a Marauder, after all. Sliding out of bed, I ripped off my sopping wet t-shirt and pulled on a dry one. Lily just stared, and frowned.

"Out, Lils," I said. "Let me change." She crossed her arms and frowned, but when I raised my eyebrows, she reluctantly obeyed. Sometimes she was almost too much like her mother, Ginny.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Looking at the calendar on the wall, I realized only then that it was Christmas Day, and we were at the Weasley's family home, the Burrow. I turned to the mirror, staring blankly into it. I asked myself the same question I'd asked myself for years.

If I can be anyone…who should I be?

I closed my eyes and my hair slowly changed back to its original form, a lighter shade of brown. It hung in my eyes, causing me to brush it to the side. My eyes, remaining my favourite shade of blue-grey, turned to a picture that I kept on my desk. My parents. The parents I didn't remember…the parents who died fighting against Voldemort. When I didn't change my appearance, I was almost the spitting image of my father…like I was at this moment.

Someone knocked on my door. I groaned, annoyed. "Lily, I'll be out in a minute, all right?" Everyone had told me that the girl had been smitten with me ever since she was old enough. It made me uncomfortable…I didn't know how to deal with something like that.

"Teddy?" a soft voice asked. My ears perked up, and a sparkle appeared in my eyes. (At least, I've been told it happens.) The gentle, mature voice definitely did not belong to the nine-year-old.

I moved over and opened the door to face my best friend, Victoire Weasley. Two years younger than I, she was the closest Weasley relative to my own age. I swallowed. Being her best friend didn't mean that I was immune to her Veela heritage. She was the prettiest and nicest girl I'd ever met; no one at Hogwarts could ever compare. The two years that I was there before her were probably the loneliest years of my life.

"Hi," I said quietly, looking down. But I didn't have to. She lifted my chin gently, her blue eyes sparkling like diamonds. She kissed my forehead, running her fingers through my hair. Oh. I guess I forgot to mention that she's my girlfriend.

"Happy Christmas," she breathed, in between kisses. Once she pulled away, she studied me. "You changed your hair." I started to nod, and she smiled at my hesitance. "I love it." I could feel myself turning red, and I shifted nervously.

"It's…it's my father's," I explained, swallowing again. "I thought that…I dunno…"

"You look like him," she said simply, taking my hand. "Come on. Everyone's already awake." I grimaced, and she smiled. "Don't blame Lily. It was my idea. But I didn't think that…"

I laughed. "I get it. Scared?"

She shoved me playfully and shook her head. "I didn't know if I'd be able to do it." I leaned over and kissed her again, a moan emanating from her mouth.

"I guess I do have powerful methods of persuasion, don't I?" I teased, as she kissed me again. She put a finger against my lips.

"Not a word to the family, Teddy Lupin," Victoire warned me. "Daddy won't give you another moment of peace." I nodded, knowing all too well how protective Weasley men were over the girls in their family. Even if those girls were all grown up.

As I entered the first floor, I was almost immediately crushed with a triple-hug by the Potter kids, James, Albus, and of course, Lily. Within five seconds, two other small bodies, which I figured were Rose and Hugo Weasley, had joined in.

I laughed, Victoire smiling brightly. "All right, all right," I said, slowly gaining control of my body again.

"Happy Christmas, Teddy," Lily said quickly, as if she was afraid that someone would beat her to it. I smiled gently, pulling on her hair.

"Happy Christmas, Lils," I answered, giving her the hug I knew that would make her day. She let go, beaming, running over to her parents, who were sitting on the couch on the other side of the room, talking with the other adults.

"Quidditch, Teddy?" James asked, now accompanied by his favorite cousins, Fred and Roxanne. Fred was the spitting image of his namesake, the twin of his father, George Weasley. Roxanne was a pretty girl with darker skin. Her relationship to her mother, Angelina, was very clear. I frowned, looking back to Victoire.

"I…I'm not sure, guys," I said tentatively. "Maybe later?" They looked a bit let down, but James nodded.

"Yeah, no problem," he said with a shrug. "We'll be in the back." I nodded with a smile as they walked off.

"I'm not making you stay, you know," Victoire said with an amused smile. "I know how much you love Quidditch. Go, play. Have fun."

I shook my head and raised my eyebrows. "Assuming much?" She lightly punched me.

"No," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "But…I do have a present for you." She suddenly looked nervous, but I was sure that I imagined it, because the next second, she was smiling brightly again, as she always did. "Wait here." I watched her disappear up the stairs, wondering what the gift could possibly be that she was so nervous about.

A few minutes later, she came back down, holding a medium-sized package wrapped in scarlet-and-gold paper. She handed it to me shyly, but when we both noticed several of the adults watching us curiously, she muttered, "Come with me," before pulling me out the door.

We walked to the borders of the land that the Weasleys owned, the cool Christmas breeze blowing through our hair and ruffling my shirt.

"I didn't want you opening it with anyone else around," she said quietly, sitting down on the grass and gesturing for me to do the same. I frowned slightly, and slowly pulled off the wrapping. It was a photo album.

I smiled, but looked up, confused. Why would this be something she would want to hide from the adults? She smiled gently and brought herself closer to me, opening it. The first page showed a picture of my parents at meetings of the Order of the Phoenix, followed by individual shots, and a group picture of them all. My parents clearly were not together at this point…merely attracted to one another. At the bottom of the page, in a neat script, it read, "_Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks: destined for each other_."

I felt a tear fall down my cheeks, and suddenly realized why she'd wanted to give this to me herself. I flipped through the pages, seeing pictures of me, taken when I had been less than six weeks old. Some included my parents as well. I focused on one where my father was holding me, a smile of pure disbelief and happiness on his face. My mother looked on, beaming. But there was something else in their eyes. They knew a war was coming…already on their doorstep. They knew that they weren't going to survive. I felt another tear trailing from my eye. Each page had a caption of what Victoire had captured from the emotion of the photos. I flipped through the album, seeing more pictures of Harry and I, and the rest of the Potter-Weasleys, and some of me at Hogwarts. Some I vaguely recalled her taking. Some Harry had taken, like my first day of school, right by the Platform as well as a photo of the Hogwarts Express. Turning to the back, I noticed that the last photos were of Victoire and I, taken at school by my friends who were sure that we would end up together someday. The last few proved that they were right. At the bottom of that page, it read, "_Teddy Remus Lupin and Victoire Weasley: Story yet to be written_." I smiled softly and took her into my arms.

"The last pages are for you to fill in yourself," she whispered. I gazed into her eyes for a moment before closing the gap between us, feeling her lips on mine. I dragged my fingers through her long hair that barely held a hint of orange, the only trace of her Weasley genes.

"Thank you," I whispered back, releasing the kiss, if only for a moment. "This is the best present I've ever been given." I looked back at the album. "How did you find all these?"

She smiled. "I asked various people, from Uncle Harry to Professor McGonagall, if they had any. The responses were unbelievable. I thought it'd be good to tell the story…through pictures."

I grinned lopsidedly…my father's grin. "It's brilliant." And it's the closest I'll ever get to them, I thought sadly, fixing my eyes upon the photo of my father and mother. He was wearing a simple brown traveling cloak, his hair a light brown mixed with grey, scratches on his face. Sadness instantly filled my heart as I realized everything he had been through. As a werewolf, he had been shunned. He hadn't been able to get a job, except maybe in the Muggle world, and that one year that he had taught Harry at Hogwarts. My mother looked over ten years younger than him, but it was clear how much they cared for each other, and I suddenly didn't care about the age difference. She was wearing a Weird Sisters t-shirt and torn jeans, her hair short, a vivid pink. I smiled, continuing to stare. Here it was…the proof that I had always wanted. I had pictures of them…but these somehow showed their character. It showed that they had lives of their own…and were seemingly brought together by fate. I stood up and started to walk back, my nose still stuck in the photo album.

I vaguely heard Victoire admonish me for not looking where I was walking, and she caught up with me and grabbed my hand. I looked up, and saw Lily running out of the house once she saw me. I smiled wistfully, knowing that the time that Victoire and I had was coming to an end.

"Teddy!" I heard the young girl's voice call out to me. "Look out-" But before I could hear the whole warning, I tripped over a tree root that in turn slammed me into the shed. The door broken from the impact, I sat up with a groan. Victoire was staring at me, her eyes anxious.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm…fine…" I said, rubbing the back of my head. Lily rushed into the shed and sat on my other side.

"You sure?" she asked. I smiled and gave her a one-armed hug.

"Yes, Lily, I'm fine," I said, winking at her, causing her to blush. Frowning, she turned.

"What's that?" I sighed, and heaved myself up, Victoire helping me. Looking to where Lily had pointed, I noticed a small gold hourglass falling from a shelf. My eyes widening, I dove to catch it, luckily reaching it before it hit the ground and shattered. But the next thing I knew, it lit up, and all I could see was the confused look on Victoire's face and the scared one on Lily's as the light blinded me. I felt a sudden sense of foreboding…this wasn't good, whatever it was.

-HARRY POTTER-

We crashed into a hardwood floor, all groaning. "Vic? Lily? You girls alright?"

"Yes, I think so," Victoire said, checking the nine-year-old girl to see if she was hurt. She held onto Lily's hand as I observed where we were laying. An old house, by the looks of it…not unlike my grandmother Andromeda's. On the wall hung the heads of dead house-elves, and Victoire instantly covered Lily's eyes, her mouth agape. "Where are we?"

I frowned. I did recognize this house from somewhere. But where…

I stared down the long hallway, where I heard voices arguing about something. My mind flashed back to the hourglass…and I flipped open the photo album that I had been holding onto. The first page…a hallway…just like this one…was where his parents had met. The Order of the Phoenix…

I strained to hear what the voices were saying. A gravelly voice said, "Be that as it may, Sirius, Fudge is intent on locking Potter in Azkaban, no matter the crime. He is desperate."

"Underage wizards are allowed to use magic in circumstances such as a dementor attack," a calmer voice agreed. "But, and no, Padfoot, listen. Mad-Eye is right. The final judgment rests with the Ministry, not us. If Harry is found guilty, then we don't have a say."

"He's just a boy," stated a voice that I recognized, belonging to Victoire's grandmother, Molly Weasley. I frowned at that. Harry wasn't a boy. He was a grown man with three children. And Mrs. Weasley was back at the Burrow, wasn't she? Victoire looked back at me, and I realized that I still hadn't answered her question.

"I have a hunch," I whispered quietly, closing the photo album and storing it in my jacket. "I just hope I'm wrong."

"Teddy…" It was Lily this time. Her voice was scared, and she grabbed my hand.

"I know, Lils," I said softly. "I know you're scared. But I need you to be strong for me, all right?" She wiped her nose and nodded, holding tighter onto me. "I'll get us home."

And with that, I heard footsteps behind us, and a gasp from Victoire. I spun around, my wand at the ready, but I found myself face-to-face with an old man with long silver hair and half-moon glasses, wearing midnight robes and looking at us interestedly. My breath caught in my throat, and I stowed my wand in my pocket. Victoire backed up and held the hand that wasn't occupied by Lily, who was staring openmouthed at the man who had come in the door.

"And how did three youngsters such as yourselves end up here?" he said. His voice was kind, but there was something in his eyes that told me that he knew much more than he should. I saw him gazing at each of us, and knew he could immediately tell that Victoire was part Veela and part Weasley, and that Lily was a Weasley. I suddenly found myself thanking Merlin that I had chosen my certain hair and eyes to be simple today. Could he tell anything from my nondescript brown hair?

I cleared my throat. "Um…sir…we don't know where we are," I said, deciding that timid and respectful was the best way to address this man. He stared us down again, this time turning to Victoire.

"Is this true, young Miss?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, as if talking to a teacher. "We were in the shed at my grandparents' home, and there was a light…and we were here."

He sighed, still not sure what to make of us. I bit my lip and looked back at her, noticing that she had tactfully left out the part about the Time-Turner.

Though I knew exactly who he was-how could I not, there were paintings of him at Hogwarts-I felt like I needed some sort of assurance that my hunch was correct. "I'm sorry, sir…but who are you?"

His eyes twinkled in my direction. "My name is Albus Dumbledore."

-HARRY POTTER-

I'd very much appreciate if I got some feedback, as this is just a trial run to see how people like it. So if you want me to post more, please tell me, because then I'll just continue to write for my own enjoyment and not really post. But it's too much fun to write about the Lupins.

Until next time-

The Drover


	2. Number 12, Grimmauld Place, 1995

So...this is fun, eh? Second chapter in what...two days? I guess this shows that I don't really have much of a life. I think what it is, is that I'm confined to the house until we're completely set up for Christmas. I was up until 2 in the morning writing...er...something. I woke up at 12 PM. I was left with a note saying that I was going to be home alone until my family came back from Christmas shopping. I mean...not that I mind...I hate shopping...but if they forget to get one of my little cousins a Harry Potter gift...I swear... Erm, yes. I do brainwash my cousins, thanks for asking. :D

So...this chapter isn't as long, because I don't want it to get more drawn out and dull than it already is.

-HARRY POTTER-

**Previously in **_**Our Destiny is Yet to be Written**_**…**

_I heard footsteps behind us, and a gasp from Victoire. I spun around, my wand at the ready, but I found myself face-to-face with an old man with long silver hair and half-moon glasses, wearing midnight robes and looking at us interestedly. My breath caught in my throat, and I stowed my wand in my pocket. Victoire backed up and held the hand that wasn't occupied by Lily, who was staring openmouthed at the man who had come in the door._

"_And how did three youngsters such as yourselves end up here?" he said. His voice was kind, but there was something in his eyes that told me that he knew much more than he should. I saw him gazing at each of us, and knew he could immediately tell that Victoire was part Veela and part Weasley, and that Lily was a Weasley. I suddenly found myself thanking Merlin that I had chosen my certain hair and eyes to be simple today. Could he tell anything from my nondescript brown hair? _

_I cleared my throat. "Um…sir…we don't know where we are," I said, deciding that timid and respectful was the best way to address this man. He stared us down again, this time turning to Victoire._

"_Is this true, young Miss?" _

"_Yes, sir," she answered, as if talking to a teacher. "We were in the shed at my grandparents' home, and there was a light…and we were here." _

_He sighed, still not sure what to make of us. I bit my lip and looked back at her, noticing that she had tactfully left out the part about the Time-Turner. _

_Though I knew exactly who he was-how could I not, there were paintings of him at Hogwarts-I felt like I needed some sort of assurance that my hunch was correct. "I'm sorry, sir…but who are you?"_

_His eyes twinkled in my direction. "My name is Albus Dumbledore."_

-HARRY POTTER-

**Chapter 2: Number 12, Grimmauld Place, 1995**

-HARRY POTTER-

We followed Dumbledore down the hallway, Victoire shooting glances at me the whole time. I kept a firm grasp on Lily's hand. It was my fault that they were dragged into this…damn my mother's clumsy genes.

"What are you thinking, Theodore Remus Lupin?" Victoire hissed, making sure that Dumbledore was out of earshot. "Albus Dumbledore is dead, you know that." I said nothing, merely glanced at her. "What, are you expecting to meet your parents? Teddy, this isn't our world! We've got to get home!"

"There isn't another way to get home," I hissed back. "The Time-Turner is broken, Victoire. You think that I haven't tried?" She stared at me, her mouth open. She shut it and frowned.

"You think Dumbledore has one?"

"No, but the Ministry has," I answered. "During the battle during Harry's fifth year, the six of them smashed the entire stock."

"And that battle hasn't happened yet," Victoire replied, realization dawning upon her face that had turned pale. "We're both going to see-"

"Excuse this interruption, but we do have a pressing matter to attend to," I heard Dumbledore address the Order members. "I picked up a few stowaways on my way in."

The room exploded.

"What?" Molly Weasley asked in disbelief.

"Just bring them in, Albus," said a calm voice from beside a man who was close to growling with anger; the voice I had heard earlier, and had instantly pegged as an honest man who didn't sugarcoat the truth. "Sirius, it's highly unlikely that a Death Eater has come to Headquarters."

So that's were we were. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place…Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. The year? 1995. The rise of Lord Voldemort was imminent.

I barely realized that Dumbledore had ushered us inside before I saw them all staring at us. The man who I had heard speak earlier had stopped talking to the dark-haired man beside him, and turned to us. As our eyes met, I felt my heart stop. I noticed him swallow, and then avoid my glance by looking curiously at Victoire and Lily.

"Who are they, Dumbledore?"

His voice was like…music…to my ears. I had never heard anything so magical…in my entire 19 years. This was the impossible. I knew he was dead. Everyone knew he was dead. No one dared to question otherwise. But…in this time, in 1995, Remus Lupin was alive and well. No one dared to question it then, either. Funny.

"I thought it'd be a puzzle for the lot of us," Dumbledore said cheerfully, going over to sit by a pink-haired witch, who, with a jolt, I recognized as a woman I had only seen through photographs. My mother, Nymphadora Tonks. She was wearing her customary Weird Sisters t-shirt and jeans, looking up at us. It certainly didn't seem that she was in a relationship with my father.

"Teddy," I heard Victoire whisper, her gaze fixed on a tall, redheaded man in the corner. "My dad."

"I know," I whispered back. "Must be weird seeing him younger, eh?"

"You've no idea," she answered lightly, and I knew that she was trying to avoid discussing the fact that my parents, dead to me in the future, but very much alive now, had no idea that they would once fall in love and have a son…a son that they would barely live to know. Victoire's parents were still very much alive in the future…she even had a sister, Dominique, and a brother, Louis. This couldn't possibly mean as much to her as it did to me…right?

"Introductions are in order, I believe," sneered a greasy, black-haired man who I knew to be called Severus Snape. He certainly didn't seem pleasant, and I had no trouble seeing why my father and Harry had disliked him while at school.

I nodded uneasily, looking down at Lily, who was known back home for saying too much at the wrong times. "I'm Teddy, and this is Lily." Snape's eyes widened for a moment before turning to stare at the girl. I gestured to Victoire and introduced her as well.

"We know the girls are Weasleys," said a voice I recognized as Arthur Weasley. "But you…you're hard to guess."

I allowed him a lopsided smile. "I like to keep it that way," I said simply, my eyes darting to my father, if only for a second.

"Is it only the three of you, then, in the future?" My mother asked the question, and I found myself marveling at her soft voice, not bothering to answer her. At least…not right away.

"No," I finally said. "Victoire's got a brother and sister…after them is Molly and Lucy…then Fred and Roxanne…then James, Albus, and Lily…then Rose and Hugo. Lily and Hugo are the youngest. I'm the oldest."

"James…Lily…" Sirius contemplated. "Harry survives?" I swallowed and nodded.

"Yes," I said. "Yes…he survives."

"We shouldn't know too much of the future, Sirius," Dumbledore said clearly, "But to know a little more certainly shouldn't hurt."

"Lily…you're Harry's daughter?" The question was asked by my father, who was as curious to know of the future as Sirius, if not more anxious. She nodded silently, blushing. "Who's your mother?" But I clamped a hand over her mouth before she could answer.

"I don't think that's…"

"It's part of the telling," Mad-Eye Moody said. "We'll be sure not to tell the children."

I reluctantly released Lily, and she said, "My mother is Ginny Potter." A collective gasp was heard, but my father chuckled.

When the rest of the table looked at him, he simply shrugged. "I saw it coming."

"I have two brothers, James, who gets into a lot of trouble at school, and Al, who's the nicer one," she continued, gathering a laugh from the table. "Daddy says that he cursed James by naming him after two troublemakers. And he says that Al is special 'cause he's named for two Hogwarts headmasters." I smiled and nodded. Sirius looked positively gleeful.

"Victoire?" I asked, and she stepped up. "Your turn."

"I am the eldest of the next Weasley family generation, born exactly a year after the Battle of Hogwarts," she explained. "My father is Bill Weasley." I noticed that on the end of the table, Bill's face turned beet red and there were several wolf-whistles, mainly from Sirius. I couldn't help myself from grinning. I probably looked a bit like an idiot, but I couldn't help thinking about Bill's reaction when he learned who Victoire's mother was. "My mother is Fleur Delacour-Weasley," she said.

I noticed Bill's face drain of the colour it had left when the entire table turned to look at him, Mrs. Weasley 'hmph'-ing and turning away, busying herself with doing the dishes. The short, stocky man I recognized as a younger version of Charlie Weasley clapped his brother on the back.

"I have a sister, Dominique, who hates riding on broomsticks"-Charlie and Sirius looked appalled- "And a brother, Louis, who is extremely insightful and knows much more than he should. He doesn't understand Dom's hatred of brooms."

"Nobody does," I said under my breath, just loud enough for the table to hear me. I got some laughter, and it warmed my heart to see my father break out a smile, for it was something that he had successfully avoided all meeting. Then they looked at me. I swallowed. "Er…hi," I said, my voice catching. I locked eyes with my father, and he gave me a slight nod…as if he knew. "My father is Remus Lupin."

Silence.

Every head turned to face him, but he did nothing. His face stayed the same colour it had been, and his eyes twinkled, smiling at me. There was a hint of disbelief, but I knew that he had known exactly who I was once I walked through the doorway into the dining room. I looked around the room, my eyes resting on my mother. Unlike my father, she didn't seem to notice that her future son was standing before her. But I had caught on to the fact that she seemed let down that he had a family in the future. "My mother is Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin."

And her face flushed as she looked up at me, her eyes in wonder. Here she was…barely a few years older than I. In a few years, she would give birth to the son of Remus Lupin…and then die fighting for him. Her pink hair seemed to glisten and her cheeks only turned slightly red when my father looked at her with a soft smile. I realized then that they both harbored strong feelings…had maybe even talked about it…but had never thought that it could amount to anything, especially because of my father's lycanthropy.

But here they were…gazing at each other like none of it mattered. It didn't matter that they were in the middle of a war that they probably wouldn't survive. It didn't matter that she would become an outcast, that she would be fired from her job as an Auror, and that they would live in poverty. Everything was all right, because they loved each other. And I smiled sadly, knowing that they wouldn't have long to admit it. In three years…three short years…Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin would be dead. Never to see their son grow up. Never to meet Victoire. Never to tell me what was the right thing to do when I was young and didn't know. Never to know me.

"And…I have no brothers or sisters," I said quietly, stepping back.

An awkward silence followed, before Mrs. Weasley came over and said, "Why don't you three join us for dinner, then?" I smiled and nodded. "I'll go upstairs and get the children." And she left.

I tentatively sat in between my father and Sirius, who seemed extremely interested in me. Victoire and Lily sat across from me, next to Charlie and my mother. Sirius turned to me. "You're ol' Moony's son, eh?" My father turned and glared at him.

"Er…yeah," I decided. "I am." I looked across at Victoire, who smiled softly. If not for any reason besides hiding our relationship from her future father, she would have extended her hand to grasp mine. And…I would have done the same. I studied Lily's expression. For one her age, she seemed to have grasped the facts fairly easily. We were in the past. She had just met her grandparents and two of her uncles from the past. As for now…she was curious.

My father turned to me, Sirius having gone deeper into the kitchen, presumably for some firewhisky. He said nothing for a moment…simply stared. And then… "You're really my son."

I nodded. "Yes," I answered quietly.

I noticed him taking note of my dull brown hair and blue eyes, and he frowned. "And are you…"

Remembering what Harry had told me about my father not wanting to be in a relationship with my mother because he was "too old, too poor, and too dangerous." The dangerous part, I assumed, was because of what happened to him once a month at the full moon. I shook my head.

"No…I'm not a werewolf," I said, looking into his eyes, etched with worry. "I don't have any wolfish tendencies whatsoever. But…I am a-"

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" The Weasley children had arrived. I noticed that a younger Hermione was also with them. I searched the group for Harry, but I concluded that he must still be at Privet Drive, where he lived with his mother's sister and her family. But before I could stop her, Lily jumped out of her seat and ran to hug Ginny. I closed my eyes after giving Victoire a long-suffering gaze as the entire Weasley clan, including Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, (and Hermione) looked directly at me. I groaned silently and covered my face with my sweaty palms.

We were doomed.

-HARRY POTTER-

The next chapter deals with the kids learning about the future (which the adults wanted to avoid) and the collection of Harry from Privet Drive.

Remember, even if you haven't got any comments, just leave a review to encourage me to write more. :)

-The Drover


	3. Gryffindor Courage & the Weasleys, 1995

Well, I sort of feel proud of myself for getting this done, but I also know that I did it in under an hour, purely to distract me from real life, and it's probably really lousy.

But I'm proud of myself for updating nonetheless, so I hope that you enjoy it. Some of it may seem repetitive, but you see more of Teddy's reactions (more intense reactions) to everything, and the toll that it's taking on him. Sorry if I completely changed his character around from the last two chapters. Oh, and I know that this is shorter than the other chapters so far, and I think that it's safe to say that my chapters are going to be various lengths, and I have no way of knowing what will come next. But I try to keep them at least 1,500 words.

-HARRY POTTER-

**Previously in **_**Our Destiny is Yet to be Written**_**…**

_My father turned to me, Sirius having gone deeper into the kitchen, presumably for some firewhisky. He said nothing for a moment…simply stared. And then… "You're really my son." _

_I nodded. "Yes," I answered quietly. _

_I noticed him taking note of my dull brown hair and blue eyes, and he frowned. "And are you…"_

_Remembering what Harry had told me about my father not wanting to be in a relationship with my mother because he was "too old, too poor, and too dangerous." The dangerous part, I assumed, was because of what happened to him once a month at the full moon. I shook my head._

"_No…I'm not a werewolf," I said, looking into his eyes, etched with worry. "I don't have any wolfish tendencies whatsoever. But…I am a-"_

"_What the bloody hell is going on here?" The Weasley children had arrived. I noticed that a younger Hermione was also with them. I searched the group for Harry, but I concluded that he must still be at Privet Drive, where he lived with his mother's sister and her family. But before I could stop her, Lily jumped out of her seat and ran to hug Ginny. I closed my eyes after giving Victoire a long-suffering gaze as the entire Weasley clan, including Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, (and Hermione) looked directly at me. I groaned silently and covered my face with my sweaty palms._

_We were doomed._

-HARRY POTTER-

**Chapter 3: Gryffindor Courage and the Weasley Clan**

-HARRY POTTER-

"They can't be from the future," were the first words out of Ron's mouth, as he stared at Lily, Victoire and I. "They just…"

"But they are, Ron," said Ginny quietly as she studied Lily curiously. Their resemblance was so obvious that I wanted to crawl into Kreacher's den and die. Our whole presence here…however accidental…could have disastrous consequences in our own time.

"I think that…" I cleared my throat awkwardly as the entire table turned to face me. I looked at the elderly man in midnight robes wearing half-moon glasses, his blue eyes twinkling. "Professor Dumbledore…um…sir, is there a way that we could return home?"

"Too anxious to leave, Ted?" asked my father. I turned away from him, feeling ashamed. I had dreamed of meeting my parents all my life, but…when I saw them…living…not knowing that in a few short years they would breathe their last…I couldn't handle it. But nor could I explain to them that this was how I felt, for the sake of not changing history. "I don't think-"

"I think that young Mr. Lupin is correct," said Dumbledore, and I cautiously took in the amazed and confused looks of the Weasley children. With another pang, I recognized Fred Weasley, the spitting image of his twin, George, and in the future, George's son. I stared down at my shoes as to not let the tears that were trying to release themselves break free. "They are putting the future in peril by even sitting here with us." I smiled, and started to stand up, but he said, "However- as I am unable to procure a Time-Turner from the Ministry at this time, I must ask Ted, Victoire, and Lily to remain here until such a time comes when we will be able to send you home. Yes?" I swallowed and nodded.

Who knew how long it was going to take us to return home? We could very well be stuck here for years. And years…Merlin, I couldn't be stuck here for years! No…I needed to find a way to get us home.

"Teddy," a quiet voice across from me muttered. I turned to Victoire, whose face was grim with the news. "I know what you're thinking. And I know- I feel the same way. But you mustn't. There's nothing we can do right now…just try to relax."

I frowned, trying to tell her with my eyes that I couldn't simply "relax." She seemed to understand, and finally placed her hand on mine, not caring what her numerous Weasley relatives thought. After a moment, and a regretful smile in her direction, I focused on the young Weasleys and Hermione. She seemed to be particularly interested in me, and I smiled back at her cautiously as she came to take Sirius's vacated seat.

"You're really from the future," she said questioningly, yet not so. As if she knew already, just from looking at us. I nodded silently, playing with my sweatshirt, which bore the Gryffindor crest as well as the Hogwarts shield. "You're Professor Lupin's son?"

I nodded warily again, answering "Yes" in a hoarse voice. She smiled, placing a hand over mine.

"I understand that you can't tell us much of the future," Hermione began, "But…I think we'd all like some hints."

"I can't give them, Aunt Hermione," the title slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. She said nothing, but from the hidden smile on her face I could tell that she caught exactly what I said and had taken it to heart. I groaned inwardly. That would cause a whole new set of problems.

"You haven't even bloody told us who they are!" interrupted an angered, fifteen-year-old version of Ron Weasley. His arms were folded across his broad chest and he was frowning at the lot of us. "They just appear here from the future, and we're just supposed to-"

"Ronald Weasley!" admonished his mother, who had been setting up for supper in her typical 'Molly Weasley' fashion (as I was used to from many dinners at the Burrow).

"He's right," Victoire admitted. "During a time like this…you never know who is to be trusted." Her eyes flickered towards me, if only for a fraction of a second, and I nodded slightly in her direction.

"All right, then…" Ron looked from Lily, to Victoire, his eyes coming to rest on me. I frowned, looking to the youngest Weasley cousin.

"Lils, you go first," I said carefully, and the nine-year-old nodded, frightened, if only a little.

"I'm Lily Luna Potter," she said, her voice small and scared. I wished that I was there to stand by her and tell her that it was all going to be all right…but even if I was beside her…who was I to tell her that it was all going to be fine? Bloody hell, I didn't know what the future held for us. Or…the past. Whichever one. "My parents are Harry and Ginny."

I grimaced at the horrified look on the faces of Ron, Fred, and George. Ginny was smiling, looking down at her future daughter in adoration. I could tell that she had already fallen in love with the little girl. My heart warmed, and I knew that even if I couldn't be comfortable here in the past, Lily would not go without love.

"Git," Ron muttered, his eyes downcast. "My best mate…what a load of rubbish…" I couldn't help but to grin. Wait until he learned that his sister would have three children.

She sat down and Victoire stood up, brushing her long hair back. "I am Victoire Weasley," she stated, as simply as she had before, and I noticed the grins on the twins' faces subside. No doubt they wanted to take advantage of her Veela heritage. At that thought, I felt a hot, bubbling sensation in the pit of my stomach, but forced it away. I'd need full control if I was to make everything fit. If I was going to make everything work. "My parents are Bill and Fleur." Fred and George whistled and clapped their brother on the back as Charlie had done earlier, and I noticed that Ron looked rather jealous. Looking at Hermione beside me, she sniffed at the boys' attitude and pretended not to notice otherwise.

"So…they're Weasleys," Ron said, shrugging. "We could tell from the red hair. But who in the name of Merlin's saggy left-"

He was interrupted by another admonishing "Ronald Weasley!" from his mother, but continued to frown at me.

I nodded, standing up myself. "I know…I don't look much like a Weasley…or a Potter for that matter, Ron, because I'm not," I said, and I turned my brown hair to my normal preferred shade of turquoise. "I'm a Lupin…and a Tonks." I chanced a look at my father, who finally seemed beside himself with happiness, now reassured that his son had not inherited his lycanthropy after all, but Tonks's Metamorphosing. My mother's face flushed as Ginny and Hermione looked at her in curiosity, congratulations almost in order. "But I spend holidays with the Weasley family…which is how we came to be here."

"A Time-Turner mishap?" asked Arthur Weasley.

I felt my cheeks burning in shame, but I nodded. "I…tripped…landed facefirst in the shed. It dropped…and nearly broke…but then it sent us here. I don't know why…and I most certainly don't know how." My mother snorted, and I looked across at her in surprise. "What?"

"I'm sorry," she said, after gathering herself. "But you tripped?" After I nodded again, she said, "You must be my son," gathering laughter from the Order, and I noticed, particularly my father. Maybe her clumsiness was a trait that he grew to love, simply as a part of her. It took all of my willpower not to think if possibly Victoire felt the same way about me.

I changed my hair back to the brown it had been before and sat down. Drawing attention to myself was the thing that I'd been dreading about this entire introduction.

"So…we're all acquainted…this is nice…" Charlie said after a moment of silence, grinning around at us. "Mum, were you preparing supper?"

Mrs. Weasley seemed shaken out of a trance, and responded, "Hmm? Oh, yes, dear, of course. I expect you're tired from your journey here…" And she bustled to the far end of the kitchen, busying herself with the cooking.

Everyone seemed to have someone to talk to, and they seemed very immersed in their own conversation. Even Victoire, who I had counted on to be with me, had stuck up a conversation with Ginny and Hermione, Lily sitting in between them, as if she was part of the 'Big Girl' club. I allowed myself a smile, and tried to quietly slip away from the happy company, if only for a moment.

I needed just a second…if not more…to take it in…maybe to look at my photo album. To remind myself that they were dead, and that no accidental trip to the past was going to change that. Because I kept telling myself…"what if?" What if I could stop them from dying? What if I could warn them? Could the consequences really be that horrific? What would be so terrible about me knowing my family?

But as I thought of Victoire, I felt guilty. I knew that I loved her. But we had grown so close because I had grown up under Harry's watchful eye, spending every holiday with the Potter-Weasley clan. If my parents lived…would I even have known her? Would we have even met? Would she be able to identify my favorite shade of blue, like she frequently did, and would I be able to recognize her familiar strawberry perfume whenever we were a certain distance apart? Probably not.

I ducked out of the kitchen and into the hallway, letting my tears flow at long last. This was wrong. How could I have been such a clutz…such an idiot…and let this happen? I sat down on the steps, my body shaking. I didn't care if anyone heard me.

"God, Lupin, pull yourself together," I muttered to myself. "You need to do this…you can't be a coward. Gryffindors are supposed to be brave. You've got to live up to your House…you've got to-"

"You'd be surprised how many times I told myself the same thing," an amused yet calming voice stated from the direction. My father, Remus John Lupin, took a seat next to me, seemingly unaware of the effect he had on my already fragile mind. "Maybe I can help."

I stared, choosing not to say anything. Because anything I could say could have disastrous effects on the future…anything I might say could give away too much.

"I know, it must be strange," he continued, "Seeing your father in the past?"

"You've no idea," I decided to say, my voice still hoarse. I tried to wipe the remains of my tears away, but it didn't go unnoticed. I should've figured.

"I can't say I know how you're feeling," my father said, placing a tentative hand on my shoulder, "But maybe I can tell you a little bit more about where you are…maybe it'd make you feel even a slight bit more comfortable here."

However unwilling, my face cracked into a smile. "Thank you."

-HARRY POTTER-

Well, this sets the stage for the next chapter, which will include a Remus-Teddy moment that I've seriously been meaning to write for a long time, but hopefully it'll make more sense. I think it'll also include some of Teddy's memories of his childhood...without his parents.

I think I did Ron's character "almost justice" with his swearing. :D

Please, be kind, leave a review to tell me what you think. :)


	4. Questions about Teddy, 1995

I'm so, so sorry for the long wait...I had my school finals last week, and the week before I had to study, and over Christmas Break I think I was a bit lazy. This Saturday was our Robotics competition...we didn't do the greatest, but it was definitely an improvement upon our competition in December. Onto the next one in March!

So, this chapter was kind of hard for me to write, and I'm concerned that Remus is a bit OOC, so I really want to know what you guys think of him. :)

-HARRY POTTER-

**Previously in **_**Our Destiny is Yet to be Written**_**…**

_I ducked out of the kitchen and into the hallway, letting my tears flow at long last. This was wrong. How could I have been such a klutz…such an idiot…and let this happen? I sat down on the steps, my body shaking. I didn't care if anyone heard me. _

"_God, Lupin, pull yourself together," I muttered to myself. "You need to do this…you can't be a coward. Gryffindors are supposed to be brave. You've got to live up to your House…you've got to-"_

"_You'd be surprised how many times I told myself the same thing," an amused yet calming voice stated from the direction. My father, Remus John Lupin, took a seat next to me, seemingly unaware of the effect he had on my already fragile mind. "Maybe I can help."_

_I stared, choosing not to say anything. Because anything I could say could have disastrous effects on the future…anything I might say could give away too much._

"_I know, it must be strange," he continued, "Seeing your father in the past?"_

"_You've no idea," I decided to say, my voice still hoarse. I tried to wipe the remains of my tears away, but it didn't go unnoticed. I should've figured._

"_I can't say I know how you're feeling," my father said, placing a tentative hand on my shoulder, "But maybe I can tell you a little bit more about where you are…maybe it'd make you feel even a slight bit more comfortable here."_

_However unwilling, my face cracked into a smile. "Thank you."_

-HARRY POTTER-

**Chapter 4: Questions about Teddy, 1995**

-HARRY POTTER-

"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place is the ancestral Black family home," my father said, gesturing around us. "I don't suppose you've been here before, now that Voldemort's been defeated in your time."

I shook my head silently, not trusting myself to look at his graying hair and blue eyes. "I've heard of it," I allowed myself to say. "But Harry usually refuses to talk of it."

He nodded, studying me carefully. "How well do you know Harry?"

I frowned. Of course, I knew him well, if not better than anyone. He was my primary guardian once my grandmother, Andromeda, had passed away. But I couldn't say that to my father, who presumed that he would be raising his own son. "Pretty well," I decided on saying. "He's my godfather."

My father smiled. "I can't imagine anyone better."

"James, Al, and Lily are fantastic as well," I said, now feeling more comfortable, looking up and smiling. He seemed to relax as he saw my smile, but as I figured he would, he knew that I was hiding something.

"You're uncomfortable," he stated, his blue eyes boring into mine. I opened my mouth to say something of an excuse, but he continued, "I don't want to pry…but something is bothering you. I want to help."

"You can't," I said quietly. "I'm sorry, but you can't." He placed a hand on my shoulder again, and I winced. How many times had I wished that I had a parent to comfort me? How many times had Harry been the one to assure me that he knew what it was like to live without parents? How…how many times had I looked at pictures of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks and imagined that they would be the ones to rouse me in the morning and accompany me to Diagon Alley for school supplies every year? How many times…

"Why can't I?"

"Because…" I looked away from him as I felt a lump in my throat. I knew that soon…I wouldn't be able to hide the tears that would betray me. "You…just can't." I chanced a glance at him, my face contorted in something similar to anger and fear. And I think he understood.

"When you were growing up…was the war still going on?" he asked gently.

"No," I said. "I'm the only one old enough to have lived during the war." My father's eyebrows narrowed in concentration as he considered this.

"Then you must have been quite young," he said. "If Bill Weasley's daughter is close to your age, and she was born on the anniversary of the battle…"

I frowned slightly and nodded, looking away again. Just another reminder of how young I had been when I lost my parents. He continued to study my face, and allowed himself a small smile. "I know what it feels like to lose someone," he said after a moment. I stared. "During the first war…I lost four friends within forty-eight hours." He withdrew his hand from my shoulder and slipped it into his pocket. "James and Lily, dead by Voldemort's hand…Peter murdered by Sirius…Sirius carted off to Azkaban…" His eyes misted over as he stared at the wall of Grimmauld Place, but then he turned back to me. "But I suppose you know this already."

Of course I did. How many times had I asked Harry to tell me a story about my father and the Marauders? How often had I heard of how Harry learned of his own godfather? But I couldn't tell my father that, like I couldn't tell him everything else, no matter how much I wanted to know how it felt to be comforted by your real family, if only for once. "Didn't Peter end up being the traitor, not Sirius?" I questioned, hoping that a genuine twinkle appeared in my blue eyes.

My father laughed, nodding. "True enough, Teddy," he affirmed. "But the point is…some of the people in the kitchen…my gut and your morbid expression tells me that they don't all survive, do they?"

I swallowed, and a tear fell from my eye. "Yes," I said hoarsely. "It's so hard, but…"

"I understand that you can't tell me," he said quietly, putting an arm around my shoulders. "You don't have to worry."

My lips cracked into a smile. "I'm not worried," I stated softly. "I'm with you." He smiled slightly, despite the circumstances, and I could see clearly where I had gotten my lopsided grin.

"Are you in a relationship with Bill's daughter?" he suddenly asked. My eyes widened, and I stared at him. My heartbeat quickened, and my breath caught in my throat. My father laughed at my expression.

"Is it really that obvious?" I asked, my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

He winked. "Just a bit," was his reply. "I saw her holding your hand."

"Oh."

"It just made me wonder…" he said hesitantly, searching my face with slight confusion, "How much time exactly did you spend with the Weasleys?"

I could almost guess what he was asking…and not for the first time, I got the feeling that he knew already what I wasn't telling him. I shrugged. "Every holiday as far as I can remember," I answered, frowning in concentration. "I was the first of the new generation to go to Hogwarts…I was the first in the next line of Gryffindors." My father beamed, nodding with encouragement. "Everyone looked up to me…especially Lily, who hasn't even been to school yet."

I looked down, wondering what else to tell him. More than anything, I wanted my father to know me. I could know everything there was to know about him…I learned it from Harry over the course of my nineteen years. But all the same…I still wouldn't_ know_ him. I knew that he was a werewolf, Gryffindor, Marauder, loyal friend, and devoted teacher. I knew that he loved chocolate and that his greatest fear was hurting those he cared about due to his condition. I knew everything that Harry had told me…I had soaked everything up; eager to learn everything I could about my mum and dad. But the truth was…in this moment…he could tell me everything that Harry said was a lie, and it would all be just fine. Because he was here…with me. Nothing would ever, ever be the same again…now that I knew who he really was.

"I first met Victoire on the day she was born," I said after a difficult moment of silence. "She was the first Weasley grandchild, and everyone was rejoicing…but I couldn't understand why."

"You couldn't understand?"

"No…everything that I'd been taught pointed toward the fact that May second was a day of mourning," I continued, almost not realizing what I was saying. "We had planned to lay flowers on my- on the graves of those who had perished at the Battle of Hogwarts. I don't remember much anymore…but I remember Harry saying that we were going to St. Mungo's." I smiled, not even noticing the slight confused frown on my father's face. "And then I saw her for the first time. She was the most beautiful person I'd ever seen…and I asked Harry if she was an angel. He laughed, telling me something about how I'd be seeing her a lot more in the future…" I fingered the photo album in the pocket of my sweatshirt, rubbing my fingers along the smooth leather binding. "And I did. She was two years behind me at school…and I can't remember ever feeling happier when she was sorted into Gryffindor."

"Is every Weasley in Gryffindor, in the future?" he asked curiously.

I nodded without hesitation, glad for the change in topics. "Everyone thought that Dominique would be somewhere else…she's so different…but I guess the Hat has taken to just sorting every Weasley into Gryffindor. Quite a few thought Al would be in Slytherin…but like Harry, he wanted nothing more than to be in the house that we were in. He wrote to me that night and told me." I stared at the heads of the house-elves on the wall and shuddered slightly. I muttered, "I wish I could've been there for the Sorting."

He smiled again. "What did you choose to do after school?"

"I'm in Auror training…I have my test in May," I said, shooting a grin at my father.

"Why be an Auror?"

"Well," I mumbled uncomfortably, "Mum was. And…I really wanted…to prove that I could live up to her name…I suppose."

His grin shifted into a solemn grimace as he squeezed my shoulder. "You seem so much like Harry," he finally said. "Longing to do what's right…but never sure if you're living up to what people expect you to be." I looked away awkwardly as his grip on me tightened even more. My father's breathing became slightly ragged, and I turned back to him. "But, Teddy, I want you to know now that your mother and I are always going to be proud of you…no matter what it may seem like at the time. I hardly know you…and already I can't bear the thought of life without you."

"I know the feeling," I murmured, quiet enough for him not to hear me.

_I can't bear the thought of life without you…but I've done it for nineteen years. Please, Dad, make the pain go away. _

"You've said some strange things about the future…I've noticed that a few things don't add up." I closed my eyes, blinking back a tear. This was the question that I'd been dreading…the question I knew that I couldn't simply lie about and get away with it.

I took a deep breath. "What do you want to know?"

He relinquished his hold on my shoulder and clasped his hands together, his knuckles white and his face devoid of color. "I want to know why my son grew up not knowing his father."

-HARRY POTTER-

So, please review, my friends and fellow Harry Potter fans!

I always want suggestions on how to improve this story, so...yeah, I really want to know what you think.

I didn't put in the memories of Teddy's childhood that I thought I would, but I think I'm going to make the next chapter a Teddy/Victoire moment, if that's okay with you guys.

Until then,

Teddy R. Lupin


	5. Memories, 1995

Wow, it's been a while, and I've got to say that I'm very, very sorry. I've just finished with AP Exams (Thank God) and the school year is coming to a close. I have the next half of the sixth chapter written, so hopefully I'll be posting more quite soon.

Thanks to all who reviewed Chapter 4!

xXxXxXx

**Previously in **_**Our Destiny is Yet to be Written**_**…**

_His grin shifted into a solemn grimace as he squeezed my shoulder. "You seem so much like Harry," he finally said. "Longing to do what's right…but never sure if you're living up to what people expect you to be." I looked away awkwardly as his grip on me tightened even more. My father's breathing became slightly ragged, and I turned back to him. "But, Teddy, I want you to know now that your mother and I are always going to be proud of you…no matter what it may seem like at the time. I hardly know you…and already I can't bear the thought of life without you."_

"_I know the feeling," I murmured, quiet enough for him not to hear me. _

_I can't bear the thought of life without you…but I've done it for nineteen years. Please, Dad, make the pain go away. _

"_You've said some strange things about the future…I've noticed that a few things don't add up." I closed my eyes, blinking back a tear. This was the question that I'd been dreading…the question I knew that I couldn't simply lie about and get away with it. _

_I took a deep breath. "What do you want to know?"_

_He relinquished his hold on my shoulder and clasped his hands together, his knuckles white and his face devoid of colour. "I want to know why my son grew up not knowing his father."_

xXxXxXx

Chapter 5: Memories, 1995

xXxXxXx

There was silence for what seemed like an eternity before I swallowed, staring at my father, the father that had always just been a portrait to me, a faint memory, and a warm glow that I had always associated with my earliest memory. Lights coming from what must've been a wand, as my hair changed colours to match the lights that so enthralled me. I never knew how exactly I remembered it, and whenever I mentioned it, Harry – who never lied to me about anything – would turn away and start asking me about how Puddlemere United was doing that season.

I knew now that the lights I remembered…that glow…was from my real home. It was my father's wand that held the lights in place. As I closed my eyes for what seemed not longer than a moment, for the first time, I could remember a warm laugh, a laugh that seemed to be fresh and relieved, a laugh that hadn't been heard in my entire life…not until a few minutes ago.

This was everything I'd ever wanted. But even so…

"I…I can't tell you," I said quietly, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my sweatshirt. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him more than I'd wanted to tell Harry that I'd become the Gryffindor Seeker…I wanted to tell him more than I'd ever wanted anything. I wanted my father to know everything about me – hell; I even wanted to tell him what flavour of toothpaste I preferred.

But even that – that tiny, irrelevant fact, would once again give rise to the question of why did my parents not raise me? What was so terrible that had happened…that my godfather and his family would have raised me?

I'd never envisioned meeting my father, but even in my wildest dreams I wouldn't have imagined that I would have to hide something from him. I was hiding my true self from the man who I was supposed to trust above all else.

But because of some cruel, evil twist of fate (or maybe just because of an evil bastard named Lord Voldemort) I grew up thinking that I should call another man "Father." Naturally, I was corrected many times, and I sensed confusion and fear from my primary guardian…my godfather, Harry Potter.

"I…I love you, Dad, but…I can't disrupt the timeline more than we already have," I said hoarsely. I swallowed and nearly choked as I chanced a look at him. His expression was more or less what I had expected it to be. He seemed to understand, but he still looked a bit let down. His immediate reaction was an unsure variation of sympathy…as if he wanted so badly to comfort me, but didn't think that it was his place. Besides…how could he comfort me if he didn't know exactly why my body was shaking?

"I know, Teddy," he said quietly. I waited for him to say something else, but nothing came. As I was about to look up, I felt a hand on my shoulder – a shaking hand – and my eyes met identical blue-grey orbs. The colour that uniquely belonged to my father until I came along. "I know only too well what it feels to lose someone." He glanced at me; his face full of sorrow and something that I thought was anger. "To lose family."

Frightened yet again of ruining my future – or that of anyone else – I drew back.

"I…I know," I whispered hoarsely, and tried to stand up on my wobbly legs as I saw a flash of strawberry-blond hair peer out into the hallway. I tried to flash a smile, but of course, as she always did, Victoire saw right through my façade. Concern was embedded into her face, and I felt guilty for a moment because of how much she worried about me. I tried to wipe my tears away, but my eyes were puffy and she knew. Seeing our silent communication, my father, the father I'd always desperately wished I had known, drew his hand away from my hunched shoulder and headed back the way Victoire had come, looking back sadly has he went.

Whether he survived the war or not, I knew that Remus Lupin's life had been forever changed. And just the mere feeling of it gave me a ray of hope.

Soon enough…my girlfriend and I were alone in the musty hallway of 12 Grimmauld Place, lined with house-elf heads and an assortment of unknown Dark objects. Charming.

I had barely turned to face her when she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist and held on. Maybe she did truly understand what this meant for me, after all. I smiled wistfully. I should've known…if there was anyone in the whole bloody world who understood me…who really _knew_ me…it was Victoire Weasley. And in her embrace, I finally let my emotions get the best of me and started to cry. Not like the few angry tears I had to suppress on May second, or the wistful tears that I could never control during holidays at the Burrow, but actually…cried.

"Shh," Victoire whispered in my ear, rocking my shaking body softly. "You're alright, Ted. My Teddy bear, I promise you right now that everything's alright." And as much as I wanted to take her for her word…I knew nothing was all right. Nothing would ever be quite all right again.

Of course, I would never be able to explain this to anyone…not even to Victoire. I could try my damn hardest to say how I felt – to say what I'd known in my life as truth was being challenged – but that wouldn't mean anything. It didn't mean that they would truly understand. The more obscure and emotional my thoughts got, the more people didn't understand, and in that was how Vic, my little Vic, was different.

Tears continued to stream down my already soaked cheeks as I remembered memories from long ago…memories that I would have thought to be long gone.

"_Where are they?" A six-year-old with purple hair followed a tall man with messy, jet-black hair, who was purposefully following a track to his destination. He turned back to the little boy, whose small hand he was holding and allowed a smile to appear on his thin face. The boy wouldn't have known, but the look, that same look that he had been given since he was just a tiny baby, meant hope. The man tugged on the young boy's hand, dragging them both through the snow._

"_Not much farther, now," he said softly, and just as he had finished speaking both man and child saw their destination. In the distance there was a grand castle, which held warm fireplaces and welcoming, smiling faces of those they had known longer than the boy cared to admit. But both of them would gladly sacrifice everything inside the castle and brave the wintry weather to see what they now beheld. The line of simple gravestones brought tears to the purple-haired six-year-old. Maybe he couldn't understand why…but it was sad. They were all beautiful and yet, sad. The stones each held a name: One that the boy recognized was the name "Fred Weasley." He remembered his Grandmum Molly saying that one of her little boys had gone away because of the war. His name, he recalled, had been Fred. _

_Watching his godson brush snow off a slightly larger stone, the black-haired man bowed his head. Two names with their respective titles had been carved into them six years ago. The tall man knew this very well…for he had been the one to do it. _

_Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin_

_10 March 1960 – 2 May 1998 25 April 1973 – 2 May 1998_

_Gryffindor, Marauder, husband, father, and hero_

_Hufflepuff, Auror, wife, mother, and hero_

_**"****We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."**_

_The boy, who was, of course, their orphaned son, traced the second honour that his father had been granted with. The man smirked, if only slightly. It seemed that his young charge was destined to follow in his late father's footsteps, after all. _

"_Marauder?" He crinkled his eyebrows in confusion and looked up at the man whom he loved as a father. "What's a Marauder?"_

"_The Marauders were a group of boys at school," was the answer. "They were the best of friends. My father, your father, my godfather, Sirius, and another boy. " The emerald orbs of the adult misted over, and he whispered, "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs." _

"_What happened to them?"_

_The tall man frowned at his godson for a moment before uttering the morbid truth that he knew the boy wouldn't like as much as he did. "They died."_

"_Why?" The question slipped out of the child's innocent mouth before he could stop it. His hair shifted its colour to red, embarrassed. _

_A look of sadness crossed the black-haired man's face, but he said nothing and clapped the boy – whose hair had now turned to a honey-brown – on the shoulder. "That's a story for another day, Ted."_

"_When, Harry?"_

_The adult pondered this for a moment before giving his answer._

"_When you're old enough to understand."_

I smiled slightly at the first memory I had of seeing my parents' memorial. That'd also been the first time I'd stepped onto the Hogwarts grounds. It was a cold, snowy evening, but Harry had taken me out so he could show me who my parents really had been and how much I was like them.

_I guess I really know who they are now_, I thought wryly. _Wish you could see me now, Harry. _

I blinked again, as another fuzzy memory, this one of the time I learned of the Marauders, came to me. I had lain on the couch and eventually fallen asleep reading Quidditch Through the Ages, only to wake up when I heard the door open and footsteps walk in. I had kept still for a moment, listening to the conversation between my beloved grandmother and the godfather I thought of as my hero…

_A boy with midnight blue hair lay sleeping on the couch in Andromeda Tonks's home as a man quietly opened the door, taking care to wave his wand and lock it behind him. His shook his jet-black locks out of his almond-shaped emerald eyes and smiled down upon the sleeping nine-year-old, his godson. After a moment, he quietly stowed his wand in his robes and had brushed hair out of the boy's face when footsteps, coming from the first landing, hit the bottom step, by the entry hall. _

_The black-haired man looked up to see a weary old woman with graying black hair lowering her wand. _

"_Thank Merlin, Harry," she said in relief, and gave the man a gentle hug. "I'd no idea you were coming tonight, you've caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid, Teddy's asleep on the couch." He only smiled as she continued. "He was reading that dratted book again…"_

_A dark look passed over the thin, chiseled features of the man's face. "Andromeda…he needs to know."_

"_He needs to know…what, exactly?"_

_The supposedly asleep boy listened with his eyes shut, curious. _

"_He needs to know what I promised him," said the young man, and the nine-year-old smiled. His godfather was sticking up for him as he always did. "He deserves to know the story of four boys…whose bonds of friendship made them closer than brothers…and whose determination to win against the Dark was in the end their undoing." The grey-haired woman looked solemn as the green-eyed man continued. "The Marauders."_

_And the boy grinned to himself. Of course, he would finally learn more about his father. But at that moment…he mustn't reveal that he was awake. That would ruin everything._

"_If Remus was still alive – " she started as a warning._

" – _Teddy would have known more about pranking and the Marauder days than he does now," the dark-haired young man he knew as his godfather stated calmly. His emerald eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief at the look on the boy's grandmother's face. "He may have concealed it better, but Remus was as much a Marauder to the end as my father was."_

"_I suppose I knew that," she ended up saying. "They were the best years of his life, after all."_

"_Harry? Grandmum?" A sleepy voice from the couch – which no doubt belonged to the eavesdropper – caused the man to look over and smile down at him. "What is it?"_

_His godfather smiled. "Teddy, I'm going to tell you the story of a werewolf, a stag, a flower, and a Metamorphmagus." Seeing the confused look on the nine-year-old's face, his mischievous smile widening. "You'll understand. Just relax and try to stay awake, alright?"_

_Curious as to how those four words could have anything in common, the little boy nodded and sat up as his hero took a seat beside him. It took barely five seconds before a ball of turquoise hair landed on the man's lap. Groaning, the black-haired man managed a chuckle, ruffling the already messy hair on the young Lupin's head. _

"_Well, it all started when…"_

The memories of that night were somewhat broken, I recalled, because of the sleep that I had been drifting in and out of. But none of that really mattered, did it? I was finally being told the whole truth, or at least as much of the truth as they knew. And I didn't care that it had an incredibly morbid and depressing ending…they were heroes. The werewolf, Remus Lupin, my father, the stag, James Potter, Harry's father, the flower, Lily Potter, Harry's mum, and the Metamorphmagus, Nymphadora Tonks, my mum…well, they were heroes…and they had died like heroes.

_And that in and of itself is something to be proud of,_ Harry had told me.

Sneaking a look back to where my father had disappeared into the kitchen, I felt a strong surge of pity for him. I nearly grimaced at the thought – after all, it most definitely wasn't what he wanted – but I couldn't help it. He was much too proud to admit it, anyway. But to have three best friends one day, and none the next…that's not something I would wish upon anyone.

And it was with my father's indomitable pride, that incredible strength and courage that Grandma Andy had always told me I possessed, that I walked up with a group of other eleven-year-olds on 1 September, 2009.

xXxXxXx

Sorry about all the flashbacks. There will be about two more, shorter ones, in the next chapter, because I'm nervous that I strayed from the point here. But these memories will play an extremely important part later in the story.

A question: What movie are you most looking forward to for the summer? It could be DH part 2, but I want a variety of answers. It's for a TV Production/Newspaper project. Thanks!

Please remember to review...it helps me become a better writer.

Ted(dy) R. Lupin


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